Strapless facemask assemblies

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein are directed to a strapless facemask assembly that includes a facemask and a support member. The support member has a pair of resilient legs and a bridge portion. Each of the pair of resilient legs has a terminating end and each are joined at the bridge portion. The bridge portion is rounded to rest on a nasal bone of a user at an apex of the bridge portion at a first facial contact surface. The pair of resilient legs extend from the bridge portion to the terminating end and have a second facial contact surface between the terminating end and the bridge portion at a zygomatic bone of the user such that each of the pair of resilient legs extends adjacent and below the zygomatic bone in a vertical direction. The terminating end of the pair of resilient legs terminating at a third facial contact surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present utility patent application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/076,163, filed on Sep. 9, 2020, and entitled “Strapless Facemask”, the contents of which are incorporated herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present specification generally relates to user-worn facemasks and, more specifically, to a strapless user-worn facemask assembly.

BACKGROUND

It is known to use a facemask to cover a user's nose and mouth to filter germs and/or particulates. Some facemasks are reusable while others are a one-time use. Typically, the reusable facemasks use at least one strap that circumferentially surrounds a head of a user to hold the facemask in position over the nose and mouth of the user. Other reusable facemasks have a pair of loops on each side of the mask that are positioned to circumferentially surround the ears of the user to hold the mask in place. One time or disposable facemasks may not have straps or loops, but rather include an adhesive that follows the contours of the facemask and the face of the user. The adhesive may hold facemask to the skin of the user so that the mask is held in position.

These currently known facemasks cause chaffing, skin irritation, and other nuisances to the skin behind the ears and/or around the back of the head, around the nose, mouth and chin of the user by being adhered to or pulling too tight on the features of the face, and/or are only for a one-time use.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a facemask that does not include straps or an adhesive to hold the mask in the proper position on the face of the user and does not cause chaffing and other nuisances to the skin behind the ears and/or around the back of the head while being able to repeatedly use the mask.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, a strapless facemask assembly is provided. The strapless facemask assembly includes a facemask and a support member. The facemask has a receiving pocket. The support member is positioned at least partially within the receiving pocket. The support member has a pair of resilient legs and a bridge portion. Each of the pair of resilient legs has a terminating end each extending and joining at the bridge portion. The bridge portion is rounded to rest on a nasal bone of a user at an apex of the bridge portion at a first facial contact surface. The pair of resilient legs extend from the bridge portion to the terminating end. Each of the pair of resilient legs have a second facial contact surface between the terminating end and the bridge portion at a zygomatic bone of the user such that each of the pair of resilient legs extends adjacent and below the zygomatic bone in a vertical direction. The terminating end of the pair of resilient legs terminating at a third facial contact surface.

In another embodiment, a removable strapless facemask assembly is provided. The removable strapless facemask assembly includes a facemask and a support member. The facemask has a receiving pocket. The support member is positioned at least partially within the receiving pocket. The support member has a pair of resilient legs and a bridge portion. Each of the pair of resilient legs has a terminating end and each extending and joining at the bridge portion. The bridge portion rests on a user at a first facial contact surface. The pair of resilient legs extend from the bridge portion to the terminating end. Each of the pair of resilient legs have a second facial contact surface positioned between the terminating end and the bridge portion. The terminating end of the pair of resilient legs terminating at a third facial contact surface. The support member is configured to move between a nominal position and a worn position such that in the worn position, a width between the pair of resilient legs is greater than the width between the pair of resilient legs in the nominal position.

These and additional features provided by the embodiments described herein will be more fully understood in view of the following detailed description, in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and exemplary in nature and not intended to limit the subject matter defined by the claims. The following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a perspective view of a first aspect strapless facemask assembly according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 2 schematically depicts a front view of the strapless facemask assembly of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 3 schematically depicts a front and top-down view of the strapless facemask assembly of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 4 schematically depicts the strapless facemask assembly of FIG. 1 separated from a user according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 5 schematically depicts a perspective view of a support member of the strapless facemask assembly of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 6 schematically depicts a top-down view of the support member of FIG. 5 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 7 schematically depicts a perspective view of a second aspect strapless facemask assembly according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 8 schematically depicts an isolated perspective view of the strapless facemask assembly of FIG. 7 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; and

FIG. 9 schematically depicts a perspective view of a support member of the strapless facemask assembly of FIG. 7 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects described herein are directed to strapless facemask assemblies. The assembly includes a support member and a facemask. The support member may be generally a U-shape having first and second legs spaced apart from one another by a bridge portion positioned at a nasal bone. It should be understood that the support member supports a least a portion of the facemask and to cover portions of a face of the user. As such, the support member may be designed to anatomically fit any user by being positioned along the face of the user just below the cheek bones, such as the zygomatic bone, and extending to a jaw portion where each of the first and second legs terminate. It should be appreciated that this may be an ideal termination position as the support member does not interfere with the lower jaw moving, such as when speaking. Further, this termination position provides support in the form of bone, soft tissue, muscle and the like so that the support member does not cause chaffing and/or other nuisances to the skin in this location. Moreover, the support member may be in contact with at least three different portions of the skull of the user to maintain the position of the mask when worn by the user.

As used herein, the term “longitudinal direction” refers to the forward-rearward direction of the strapless facemask assembly (i.e., in the +/−X-direction depicted in FIG. 1). The term “lateral direction” refers to the cross-direction of the strapless facemask assembly (i.e., in the +/−Y-direction depicted in FIG. 1), and is transverse to the longitudinal direction. The term “vertical direction” or “above” or “below” refer to the upward-downward direction of the strapless facemask assembly (i.e., in the +/−Z-direction depicted in FIG. 1).

Now referring to FIGS. 1-6, a first aspect of a strapless facemask assembly 10 is described herein. The strapless facemask assembly 10 includes a support member 12 and a facemask 14. The support member 12 may be generally a U-shape having first and second legs 16 a, 16 b spaced apart from one another by a bridge portion 18. It should be understood that the support member 12 supports a least a portion of the facemask 14 to cover to portions of a face 20 of a user 22. As such, the support member 12 may be designed to anatomically fit any user 22 by being positioned along the face 20 at three predetermined positions, herein after known as facial contact surfaces or portions, and discussed in greater detail herein.

The bridge portion 18 may be rounded to rest on a nasal bone 24 of a user at an apex 26 of the bridge portion 18 at a first facial contact surface 28. Each of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b include a second facial contact surface 30 and a third facial contact surface 32 at a terminating end 34 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b. As such, the second facial contact surface 30 may be positioned between the third facial contact surface 32 and the first facial contact surface 28 of the support member 12. The second facial contact surface 30 may be positioned to make contact with the face 20 of the user 22 just below a zygomatic bone 36 of the user 22 in the vertical direction (i.e., in the +/−Z direction). The third facial contact surface 32 may be positioned at or adjacent to the terminating end 34 of each of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b. The third facial contact surface 32 may make contact with a condylar process region 38 of the user 22.

In some embodiments, the terminating end 34 of each of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b may be tapered and may be configured to be received with a receiving pocket 40, or receiving channel, of the facemask 14, as discussed in greater detail herein. In other embodiments, the terminating end 34 of each of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b may taper uniformly or irregularly, and/or may not taper. In other embodiments, the terminating end 34 of each of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b have different shapes, such as a hook, a “J” shape, an “L” shape, and the like.

It should be appreciated that the third facial contact surface 32 and the terminating end 34 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b do not interfere with a movement of the jaw (mandible), such as when the user 22 is speaking. Further, the first facial contact surface 28, the second facial contact surface 30, the third facial contact surface 32, and the terminating end 34 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b rest on bone, soft tissue, muscle, and the like, such that the support member 12 does not cause chaffing and/or other nuisances to the skin, bone, muscles, and the like, as typically caused by the known prior art facemasks.

The bridge portion 18 of the support member 12 may be elevated with respect to the second facial contact surface 30, the third facial contact surface 32 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b. As such, the bridge portion 18 may be a tapering shape from the apex 26. The apex 26 may be the point or points of the tapering shape in the vertical direction (i.e., in the +/−Z direction) with respect to the second facial contact surface 30 and the third facial contact surface 32 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b. The tapering shape may be uniform and symmetrical or may be irregular based on the contour of a nose 42 and other facial features of the user 22.

As discussed herein, the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b each include the second facial contact surface 30 and the third facial contact surface 32. Both the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b are joined with the bridge portion 18 to form a monolithic structure that may be customizable to the face 20 of the user 22. That is the support member 12 may be flexible to adjust to the contours and facial features of the user 22. As such, the support member 12 comfortably fits dramatically different facial features and shapes. Further, it should also be appreciated that the support member 12 may be positioned such that the contour of the support member 12 prevents exhaled gases from the user form rising up and out. As such, for the user 22 who may wear glasses, the positioning of the support member 12 helps in eliminating and/or preventing the glasses from fogging.

Further, an elevation or bend of the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b increases in the vertical direction (i.e., in the +/−Z direction) between the third facial contact surface 32 and the second facial contact surface 30 of the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b and again between the second facial contact surface 30 of the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b and the first facial contact surface 28 of the bridge portion 18. That is, on a level surface, the third facial contact surface 32 would be in contact with the level surface, the second facial contact surface 30 would be elevated above the third facial contact surface 32 with respect to the third facial contact surface 32 and the level surface and the first facial contact surface 28 would be elevated above both the third facial contact surface 32 and the second facial contact surface 30. The apex 26 of the bridge portion 18 may be elevated above the rest of the support member 12. That is, the apex 26 may be above each portion of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b in the vertical direction (i.e., in the +/−Z direction). As such, the support member 12 may be continuously sloped between the apex 26 and the terminating end 34 and each side may be symmetrical with one another.

As such, each of the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b may be arcuate in all three dimensions (i.e., in the lateral direction, the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction). Further, the width W1, or distance, between the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b is the widest at or near the second facial contact surface 30. The width W2, or distance, between the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b at the terminating end 34 is less than the width W1. Further, the width W3 between the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b where the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b transition into the bridge portion 18 is the smallest width or distance between the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b. As such, the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b are continuous curved in either the lateral direction (i.e., in the +/−Y direction), the longitudinal direction (i.e., in the +/−X direction), the vertical direction (i.e., in the +/−Z direction), and/or combinations thereof.

That is, in some embodiments, the terminating end 34 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b are curved or bending inward in the lateral direction (i.e., in the +/−Y direction) towards one other while the second facial contact surface 30 may be arcuate and continuously curve or bend away from one another to form a convex portion. Further, it should be understood that the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b are symmetrical to one another but may change shape and no longer be symmetrical depending on the facial contours of the user 22 when the strapless facemask assembly 10 is in a worn position. As such, not all portions of the support member 12 may be in contact with the face 20 of the user 22. That is, depending on the contours of the face 20 of the user 22, some portions of the various facial contact surfaces 28, 30, 32 may not make contact with the face 20 of the user 22. It should be appreciated that this flexibility improves overall comfort and usability by the user 22 while still providing the necessary strength and support to hold the facemask 14 in the proper position.

It should be understood that the support member 12 of the strapless facemask assembly 10 may be configured to releasably, engage with the contours of the face 20 of the user 22. That is the strapless facemask assembly 10 is removable from the user 22. As such, the support member 12 may be moveable between a nominal position, as best illustrated in FIGS. 5-6 and the worn position, as best illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. In the worn position, the width W1, or distance, between the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b may change with respect to the width W1 in the nominal position, the width W2, or distance, between the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b may change with respect to the width W2 in the nominal position and/or the width W3 between the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b may change with respect to the width W3 in the nominal position. Further, in the worn position, the first and second leg 16 a, 16 b may still be continuously curved in either the lateral direction (i.e., in the +/−Y direction), the longitudinal direction (i.e., in the +/−X direction), the vertical direction (i.e., in the +/−Z direction), and/or combinations thereof and may be continuously sloped in the vertical direction (i.e., in the +/−Z direction).

It should be appreciated that the various facial contact surfaces 28, 30, 32 may be configured to relieve excessive pressure to the face 20 of the user 22 thereby reducing and/or eliminating discomfort and skin irritation. Further, the shape of the support member 12 may provide comfort and rigidity to wear the facemask 14 and permit the facemask 14 to be hold in position along the contours of the face 20 of the user 22.

The support member 12 may be a single unitary member that is a formed as a generally tubular shape using various materials, such as a metal or plastic. For example, the support member may be a stainless steel, copper, aluminum, PEEK, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, kydex, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene, polylactic acid, polycarbonate, acrylic, acetal, and/or the like. However, this is non-limiting and the support member 12 may include several individual components and/or may be some other shape other than tubular, such as have square, rectangular, hexagonal, and/or the like, and may include multiple tubular or other shapes to form the support member 12 and/or may be formed from other materials or a combination of metal and plastic material.

In some embodiments, the facemask 14 may include a receiving pocket 40 that is complimentary to the support member 12 to receive portions of the bridge portion 18 and the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b such that the facemask 14 may be positioned properly to cover the nose 42 and mouth 44 of the user 22. The receiving pocket 40 may include a pair of openings positioned adjacent to where the terminating end 34 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b are portioned (e.g., at the condylar process region 38). The receiving pocket 40 may be positioned along an upper portion 50 a of the facemask 14 such that the support member 12 may be integrated with the facemask 14 to form the strapless facemask assembly 10.

Further, in some embodiments, the facemask 14 may include a lower member 46 that may be configured to be positioned around and/or beneath a chin 48 of the user 22 to provide support to the lower portion 50 b of the facemask 14. The lower member 46 of the facemask 14 may include a resilient portion, such as elastic, stitching, extra fabric, and the like, to add tension to the lower portion 50 b of the facemask 14 when on the face 20 of the user 22.

Further, in some embodiments, the terminating end 34 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b may extend beyond the mask openings to accommodate for different facial features or comfort. In other embodiments, the terminating end 34 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b of the support member 12 are each or one of the terminating end 34 of the first and second legs 16 a, 16 b may be enclosed within the receiving pocket 40 and is not visible.

When not in use, the strapless facemask assembly 10 may be worn comfortably under the chin 48 resting around the front of the neck of the user 22.

Now referring to FIGS. 7-9, a second aspect of a strapless facemask assembly 110 is schematically depicted. It is understood that the strapless facemask assembly 110 is similar to the strapless facemask assembly 10 with the exceptions of the features described herein. As such, like features will use the same reference numerals with a prefix “1” for the reference numbers. As such, for brevity reasons, these features will not be described again.

The strapless facemask assembly 110 includes a hook portion 152 at the terminating end 134 of the first and second legs 116 a, 116 b. The hook portion 152 may be a J-shape. Each hook portion 152 may be perpendicular to the first leg 116 a and second leg 116 b and may be configured to provide an attachment portion 154 for the facemask 114 as well as provides an attachment point to releasably attach to the user 122 in the condylar process region 138. That is, the third facial contact surface may be part of the hook portion 152.

In some embodiments, the hook portion 152 extends perpendicular (such as 90 degrees) from the terminating end 134. In other embodiments, the hook portion 152 may be an acute and/or obtuse angle with respect to the angle extending from the terminating end 134. In some embodiments, the hook portion 152 may also be rotated from a nominal position so that the hook portion 152 may be twisted or elevated with respect to the terminating end 134 from which the hook portion 152 extends. It should be appreciated that this rotation may assist in additional comfort for the user 22, attachment to the user 22, and the like. Further, the hook portion 152 may be other shapes, such as rectangular, triangular, hexagonal, other regular or irregular shapes, and the like. In some embodiments, a cushion, padding, and the like, may be positioned on a portion of each hook portion 152 to provide additional comfort to the user 122.

In some embodiments, the second facial contact surface 130 and the third facial contact surface 132 and the attachment portion 154 of the hook portion 152 may be configured to receive a plurality of attachment members 156 extending form the facemask 114. The attachment members 156 may be a strap such as cloth, string, elastic such as rubber, and the like. As such, any type of existing facemask may be connected to the support member 112 via the attachment members 156 of the facemask 114. It should be understood that the attachment members 156 of the facemask 114 may be wrapped tied and/or any other method to secure the facemask 114 to the support member 112 and that the attachment members 156 of the facemask 114 are no longer used to support the facemask 114 to the user 122. Rather, the support member 112 supports the facemask 114 to the user 122.

In some embodiments, some facemasks 114 may further include a mask cover that may be positioned over the facemask 114 to provide a design or change the appearance of the facemask 114. Existing mask covers may also be connected to the support member 112 by the attachment members 156 of the existing mask covers in the same manner as the facemask 114. It should be appreciated that both the facemask 114 and the mask cover may be attached to the support member 112 together or simultaneously.

It is noted that the terms “substantially” and “about” may be utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. These terms are also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue.

While particular embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, although various aspects of the claimed subject matter have been described herein, such aspects need not be utilized in combination. It is therefore intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of the claimed subject matter. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A strapless facemask assembly comprising: a facemask having a receiving pocket; and a support member positioned at least partially within the receiving pocket, the support member having: a pair of resilient legs; and a bridge portion, wherein each of the pair of resilient legs having a terminating end and each extending and joining at the bridge portion, the bridge portion is rounded to rest on a nasal bone of a user at an apex of the bridge portion at a first facial contact surface, the pair of resilient legs extend from the bridge portion to the terminating end, each of the pair of resilient legs have a second facial contact surface positioned between the terminating end and the bridge portion at a zygomatic bone of the user such that each of the pair of resilient legs extends adjacent and below the zygomatic bone in a vertical direction, the terminating end of the pair of resilient legs terminating at a third facial contact surface.
 2. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein the third facial contact surface is at a condylar process region of the user.
 3. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein each one of the pair of resilient legs are symmetrical to each other.
 4. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein each one of the pair of resilient legs includes an arcuate portion and a concave portion.
 5. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein the bridge portion has a width that is narrower that the width between the each one of the pair of resilient legs.
 6. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein the apex of the bridge portion is positioned above the pair of resilient legs in the vertical direction.
 7. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein the terminating end of each one of the pair of resilient legs is rounded.
 8. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein each one of the pair of resilient legs is flexible to adjust to contours and facial features of the user.
 9. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the pair of resilient legs are accurate in shape.
 10. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 9, wherein portions of each of the pair of resilient legs are concave in shape.
 11. The strapless facemask assembly of claim 1, wherein the apex of the bridge portion is positioned above the terminating end in the vertical direction.
 12. A removable strapless facemask assembly comprising: a facemask having a receiving pocket; and a support member positioned at least partially within the receiving pocket, the support member having: a pair of resilient legs; and a bridge portion, wherein each of the pair of resilient legs having a terminating end and each extending and joining at the bridge portion, the bridge portion rests on a user at a first facial contact surface, the pair of resilient legs extend from the bridge portion to the terminating end, each of the pair of resilient legs have a second facial contact surface positioned between the terminating end and the bridge portion, the terminating end of the pair of resilient legs terminating at a third facial contact surface, wherein the support member is configured to move between a nominal position and a worn position such that in the worn position, a width between the pair of resilient legs is greater than the width between the pair of resilient legs in the nominal position.
 13. The removable strapless facemask assembly of claim 12, wherein: the first facial contact surface is at a nasal bone of the user; the second facial contact surface is at a zygomatic bone of the user such that each of the pair of resilient legs extends adjacent and below the zygomatic bone in a vertical direction; and the third facial contact surface is at a condylar process region of the user.
 14. The removable strapless facemask assembly of claim 12, wherein in the worn position, the width between the pair of resilient legs at the terminating end is greater than the width between the pair of resilient legs at the terminating end in the nominal position.
 15. The removable strapless facemask assembly of claim 12, wherein each one of the pair of resilient legs are symmetrical to each other in the nominal position.
 16. The removable strapless facemask assembly of claim 12, wherein each one of the pair of resilient legs includes an arcuate portion and a concave portion.
 17. The removable strapless facemask assembly of claim 12, wherein the bridge portion is rounded having an apex that is positioned above the pair of resilient legs in a vertical direction.
 18. The removable strapless facemask assembly of claim 12, wherein each one of the pair of resilient legs is flexible to adjust to contours and facial features of the user.
 19. The removable strapless facemask assembly of claim 12, wherein each of the pair of resilient legs are accurate in shape.
 20. The removable strapless facemask assembly of claim 12, wherein portions of each of the pair of resilient legs are concave in shape. 